


It's Strange, But Right

by PhoenixstarKina



Series: OT4 Collections [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Anxiety, Asexual!Ai, Asexual!Rei, Awkward!Rin, Exploring Relationship Dynamics, F/M, Haru and anxiety seem to go hand in hand, Haru's a touch turn off, It's all Nagisa's fault, LET'S IGNORE ETERNAL SUFFERING YEAH?, M/M, Multi, Nagisa's parents are the bad guys here, Rin is so unrequited it's not even funny anymore, Unrequited Love, asexual!Haru, because Rin's a nope, but his sisters are cool, even though it's a swimming anime, he's just one big nope, loaded with fluff, polyship, same with Rei, that's the entire reason for this fic, there's not much swimming, very light angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:12:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6168619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixstarKina/pseuds/PhoenixstarKina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It seems odd, strange, different. But for them, it works. They couldn't see it working any other way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haru (Morning to Night)

**Author's Note:**

> Note: well, I can’t ship just one ship in this fandom. So screw it, or rather, OT4 it!  
> (Even though this show is just so “ship everyone together and be one huge happy family”)  
> Gonna focus on the Iwatobi four for now! With a dash of Rin/Nitori/Sousuke/Momo for fun.   
> Because why not?  
> Each chapter is going to be looking at their relationship and how each of them see it. Starting with Haru! Because I can’t wait to do his part. I’ll probably go in order of how they join the relationship.  
> : I switch from Haru to Haruka depending on who Haru’s focusing on. It’s just Haru at the end though, since they’re all there. (Wow did Rei dominate this chapter…well he and Haru do have a lot in common! Makoto’s gonna dominate Nagisa’s just you wait, it’s gonna happen.) (And Rei’s the youngest I guess? He is now anyway.) (And I totally messed with Episode 6. Nagisa’s way more affectionate.)

It was hard to think of a time when Haruka was without at least one of his boyfriends, even though the word still seemed foreign to him at some points during the day.  It was still new and gentle and he was afraid of breaking their bond, even if he wouldn’t voice those fears.

At first, it was just Makoto. It had always been Makoto, the more Haruka thought about it. Even at a young age, they were always together. Where you found one, the other was sure to be close by.

Going from a close friendship to a relationship just seemed natural to the two of them. In their first year of High School, it came as a surprise to no one in their class when they showed up holding hands one day. Haruka swore he saw money being exchanged by some, that was met with glares and had him in a mood all day, at least until Makoto grabbed his hand once again on the walk home.

Makoto, the ever affectionate one, who would show up at Haruka’s before school and get him out of the bath with a cheerful greeting and mild exasperation as Haruka took his time getting ready and making breakfast. It was normal for them, and not something that was easily changed, just added to.

Now the hand that helped him up lingered just a second longer, the green gaze a touch softer. His exasperation was laced with more fondness.

He never did stop calling him ‘Haru-chan’. But Haruka’s full name seemed to sneak in every now and again. It was rare for that to happen, rare enough to catch his full attention every time Makoto said it. Instead of bristling at it though, Haruka seemed to relax from whatever he was doing before Makoto spoke.

Nothing would stop him from swimming in fountains or larger fish tanks though, not even his full name. That was when his name would be said in a resigned way if Makoto failed to pull him away in time. But it became a game over time. Haruka’s eyes would dart from whatever water had caught his attention to Makoto, going back and forth until Makoto found out, should he not be paying attention in the first place.

It was like he was daring Makoto to stop him.

Makoto would always accept the challenge. And more often than not, he would win. The irritation Haruka would usually feel would be much more subdued after the new game, especially in summer, when Makoto would make good on his promise to go swimming at the beach if Haruka would just ‘wait until we’re done here’.

Nothing had changed, and yet, everything had at the same time.

And Haruka was the one to take the first leap into change, with a shy kiss to the corner of Makoto’s mouth that had the taller blushing all day. It brought a soft smile to Haruka’s lips at lunch when he noticed the blush was still there, faded, but visible all the same. He was the one to cause that, the only one who could.

That was, until their second year.

Nagisa joined them soon after starting the swimming club. He fit seamlessly into their relationship, like he had their team when they were younger. Haru noticed the change first during lunch. Makoto and Nagisa were arguing about new members to the club, and it was then that Haru saw how close Nagisa had been sitting to him.

How Nagisa’s hand found Makoto’s as he gestured wildly with the other one, and how Makoto twined their fingers together almost without thinking of it.

Haru expected to feel irritation, jealousy at how touchy Nagisa was with both him and Makoto. Instead, it just seemed okay, like it was supposed to happen. Nagisa was supposed to be nuzzling his shoulder, nose close to Haru’s collarbone as he looked up with playful eyes.

Haru was supposed to rest his head on top of Nagisa’s, a signal for the other to calm down, a signal the smaller teen understood.

Their first kiss was at the Samezuka pool, during joint practice. It was a teasing peck as Nagisa tried to get Haru to join in a water fight. He could hear Kou yelling at them, with Samezuka’s captain laughing beside her. Makoto’s staring drowned them all out though, as Haru looked at him over Nagisa’s head.

It was the soft smile that followed that sealed their relationship. But it was the water that Haru waved at Nagisa, much to the other’s delight, that started it.

He pointedly ignored the other gaze that followed their movements. It hurt at first, but Nagisa gave neither Haru nor Makoto any time to think on that.

That night, they both stayed over at Haru’s, Makoto receiving his first kiss from Nagisa as thanks for help with his homework. It was just a short kiss, but it was charged with something more than what Haru could explain. Something different that he couldn’t feel, but it was nothing worrying. He knew what it was, and there was comfort that Nagisa and Makoto were that attracted to each other.

He couldn’t give them anything sexual, but they had each other for that.  The way they both moaned his name later on in the night was good background noise as he began drawing in a new sketchbook as well. It was something he couldn’t do, but it was touching they still included him.

If Haru was truthful, he would admit that out of anyone, he thought Rin would be their fourth. The three of them were perfectly happy together, but it felt like something was missing.

Haru thought it was Rin. But after the way he snapped at Nagisa when their youngest tried to bring it up, he locked those thoughts away. They were fine without him.

That was when Rei joined them.

He found out about their relationship completely by accident after one practice. Nagisa had been quite affectionate, nuzzling up to Haruka in the pool and pressing a lingering kiss to Makoto’s lips in the locker room. But where Haruka and Makoto expected disgust, a refusal to be in the club any longer, was curiosity. It was guarded, but it was there.

It was during their island training that he became fully introduced into their relationship. A short time after Nagisa, an ever shorter time of knowing Rei, but like with the others, Haruka found it felt right.

Makoto was okay. He wasn’t drowning; Haruka had pulled him out of the water in time. Nagisa, he hoped, was okay and with Rei. Haruka was livid by the time they finally rejoined him and Makoto.

“What were you thinking?!” He snapped. Rei recoiled back, but Nagisa stood pressed against his side, keeping him from running away and keeping wary eyes on Haruka.

But it wasn’t anger that came out with the question. Makoto was the first to recognize it for what it was; worry, fear. He was shaken more that he was going to show; already Haruka was showing more than he wanted. His eyes were wide as he looked over Rei, then Makoto once again. The taller male had stepped in front of him just enough to keep him back, but Haruka simply moved around him.

He looked Rei over more closely, the worry and fear slowly going away as he saw that Rei was simply shaking from cold and the shock of what had happened. Nagisa was the one to break the tension, huddling closer to Rei and complaining about the cold.

The lighthouse protected them from the storm, but it was still chilly. Staying close together seemed logical. The kissing, while not entirely logical in their plan to stay warm, was a welcomed distraction from the thunder outside.

Something still seemed off for a while, but it wasn’t until after the relay that Haruka found out what it was.

Rin was the farthest thing from his mind as he cornered Rei a few days afterwards. Makoto had been the first one to notice how off their mate had seemed.

The term mate was more foreign than boyfriends, but it described them perfectly. They were _class_ mates, _team_ mates, the word seemed to follow them.

Except for when things weren’t perfect.

Makoto had been the first to confront Rei, Nagisa soon after. Together, the two had explained things to Haruka.

And he understood. How Rei had begun to distance himself from them, how he had snapped at Nagisa one day, had become defensive when Makoto asked him about it.

He felt like he didn’t belong, like he was just Rin’s replacement in every way, that they didn’t want him, he was just a convenient placeholder.

Haruka knew just how wrong he was. What he had problems with, was how to show it. Words seemed empty to him, so unbeautiful and jumbled.

He brought Rei to his house after school. Just Rei, Makoto managing to get Nagisa’s help in babysitting Ren and Ran that day. They finished their homework in silence, Haruka knowing that nothing would get done before their homework was.

The surprise in Rei’s eyes made him hope he was going about things in the right way. To show him that Haruka did pay attention, and not just in an absent way. He knew how much school meant to Rei.

But the youngest of their relationship had caught on, the defenses rising before Haruka could stop them.

“Rei…” Words would fail, but he had to try. He shoved the anxiety away, a silent plea for it to stay away until he was done. “I…You’re not- You’re _you_.” He looked away, but could see out of the corner of his eye how Rei began to relax again.

“Haruka-sempai-“

“Haru. Or Haruka…” It was almost instinctual to correct him, as easy as reminding Makoto to drop the –chan from his name. “Rin’s a friend… not like that though. Not…you’re not him. And he’s not you.”

The anxiety slammed into him as he realized that none of what he said was making sense. He could hear his heart hammering in his chest, and wondered if Rei could hear it too. It was easier when the four of them were together, when Makoto was there to take things in stride, Nagisa would find ways to distract and coax him. And Rei.

Rei would be there to understand it all. Understand when the anxiety would be too much, how water would help, how bad it could be. How close the two of them could be, while different from the closeness Makoto and Nagisa had.

And Haruka understood too. How there were days Rei just couldn’t handle everything. How logic and beauty were to him what water was to Haruka. How they were the same. Same disorder, same sexuality-

The remaining part of that slammed him harder than the anxiety.

He moved slowly, afraid to spook either Rei or himself if he moved too fast. Rei’s eyes never left him, even as Haruka pressed against his side, copying what he had seen Nagisa do so many times and resting his head against Rei’s chest, nose close to his collarbone and eyes shut tightly.

“I love _you._ ” He whispered. “Makoto and Nagisa too, I love them, and they love you. _We_ love you.”

“H-Haruka…” Haruka moved then, lips coming up to meet Rei’s in a gentle kiss. Their eyes locked, and Haruka hoped he was making sense now.

As their kiss broke and their foreheads rested together, he was sure Rei understood, if the soft smile and tears were telling him anything.

“I love you.” He repeated, voice barely more than a whisper.

“I love you too,” the reply was just as quiet.

Makoto and Nagisa came to get them a few hours later. Nagisa was confused when he looked around the room where their school books were still strewn across the floor. Makoto just gave a knowing smile, motioning for Nagisa to follow as he walked towards the bathroom.

Haruka barely stirred as the door slid open, wrapping his arms tighter around Rei as he opened one eye to look at the other two.

“What have I told you about falling asleep in the bath, Haru-chan?” Makoto sighed with a smile.

Nagisa just gave a small squeak of happiness before grabbing his phone, snapping a quick picture. The sound of his phone echoed in the small room, waking Rei.

“Huh…N-Nagisa!” He turned redder as he realized what had just happened.

“What? It’s a cute picture of you two!” Nagisa stuck his tongue out playfully.

Haru watched silently, keeping his arms around Rei and nuzzling his neck. The warmth from the water and Rei both was threatening to lull him back to sleep.

“Come on Haru-chan, let’s move to some place more comfortable, yeah?” Makoto was there, offering a hand to help them both up.

“Drop the –chan.” Haru muttered, refusing to move even as Rei accepted the help. “I’m comfortable here.”

“You won’t be if the water cools more.” Makoto reasoned.

Sinking lower into the water, Haru replied, “would’ve been fine if you let Rei stay.”

Makoto simply laughed, holding his hand out once again as Nagisa began badgering Rei behind him.

Haru sat and watched for a few more moments before finally reaching out and grabbing Makoto’s hand.

 

Even as their third year passed, Haru found it hard to think of a time they were ever without at least one other. The largest change was that everyone knew of their relationship.

Kou had accepted it better than they had expected. Torn between telling them that should a break up happen, don’t let it happen until after Nationals, and whispering to herself about how cute they were together.

Miss Ama had simply sighed and shook her head. “You seem to have everything figured out. It won’t be easy.” She warned. “Two of you are graduating this year, and be careful, not everyone is as accepting of things like this.”

Coach Sasabe had laughed. “I figured something like this would happen! Not to be rude, but Nagisa seems like too much for just one person to handle. And Haruka’s not exactly low maintenance.” They knew he meant well, even if he was a bit crude.

Makoto’s parents were more than accepting, though Haru made them promise to never bring up any sort of marriage around Makoto’s mother. The two eldest knew already of her plans for their marriage, the last thing they needed was her planning for an even larger or multiple weddings. The twins found out the same day. Ran was full of questions; ones that Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa were designated to answer. Ren only had a few; how did it work, were other people like them, and if they were happy. Haru had answered each one; carefully, yes, and yes, with a soft smile.

Rei’s parents knew of _a_ boyfriend. They wanted to slowly tell them, after his older brother’s warnings to not give them a heart attack by telling them all at once.

It was Nagisa’s that gave them trouble. They didn’t want to accept he was dating one boy, let alone three. That day was full of tears and sadness, until his three sisters showed up at Haru’s, where the boys had gathered with the majority of Nagisa’s things.

“Parents told us, we don’t give a damn if he’s dating a hooker off the street so long as he’s happy and taken care of.” The eldest had said in explanation. She had moved back to Iwatobi, giving Nagisa a place to stay.

“Not that we don’t trust you, but if mom and dad start asking questions, it’s easier to say he’s living with Yuki.” One of his other sisters- Haru had trouble knowing which one; it was a bit overwhelming to be meeting all three at once like that- told them.

Rin, and the rest of their friends at Samezuka, had found out two weeks before he and Haru had gone to Australia, the only time that stood out when he was without any of his mates.

They thought it a good idea for him, to see what there was. That yes, there was more than Iwatobi or Tokyo or Japan. The world was more than just some school subject. So when Rin offered, he accepted.

It was a start to something more, and an end to something that had bothered him for so long.

“I was wrong, what I said to Nagisa.” Rin had said as they stood at the beach. “I shouldn’t have said that…”

“He was really hurt.”

Rin sighed. “Dammit, I know that. I was just…fuck, I don’t know.”

“It didn’t feel right?”

“No.”

“Not with us, at least.”

A grin, showing off sharp teeth and a playful glint in his eyes were Haru’s first answer. “Yeah. I turn you guys down just to get roped in by Ai, and Sousuke- don’t look like that, he’s nice really- and Momo just seemed to worm his way in after that.”

“You’re happy?” Haru turned away from the ocean, finally looking right at Rin.

The grin softened into a smile as one hand came to grab at the necklace around Rin’s neck. He played with the charms, nodding. “I’m happy. You?”

“I’m happy.” Haru echoed before looking back at the water. “It’s so…endless.”

The wistful tone was hard to hide. He had seen so much, even in what little he could remember. Between meeting Rin’s host family, swimming with the Australian team, the rush of security at the airport and everything that wanted to trip his anxiety. He wanted to be back in Iwatobi, to relax in a bath with Makoto or cook with Rei or draw with Nagisa. But at the same time, something seemed to pull him further.

It was when they returned, he realized what dream he really wanted, what dream he had.

“The water, it’s free.” He whispered one night. Curled into Makoto’s chest with Rei on Makoto’s other side, Nagisa sitting in front of them on the floor with Haru’s hand carding through his hair. “That’s why…”

“You’re free too, in the water.” Makoto said.

“What was the ocean there like, Haru-chan?” Nagisa questioned.

“Endless.” He remembered describing it that way to Rin. “There was so much water, you could see so far out. It was bluer than here.”

Rei stretched over, giving Haru a kiss. “Sounds to me like your dream is just as endless.”

“I want to travel.” He admitted. “But, there was something else. Something missing.”

Makoto hummed. “Was it swimming? If you get scouted, you can travel and swim.”

Haru shook his head, moving closer to Makoto and wrapping his arms around the taller’s waist. “It was…lonely. And too much.” He paused, thinking over everything he had wanted to say since he came back. “I want to travel, but…it’s meaningless, without all of you.”

It was hard to find a time without at least one of them, and Haru hoped that in the future, it would be hard to find a time without all of them. He didn’t _want_ to be apart from any of them. He needed them, they were everything.

Makoto was his mornings. When the sun is soft and warm and there was always a hand ready to help him out of the bath and into the day.

Nagisa was afternoons. The day was bright and warm and filled with energy, cheerful and affectionate and always there even if clouds tried to block out the sun.

Rei was like evening. Everything becoming calm and peaceful, the light soft once more and just the right steadiness.

And Haru thought himself to be night. Silent, unpredictable with the still darkness, but a comfort that morning, afternoon, and evening were always there to follow in an endless cycle.

He never wanted that cycle to be broken, no matter what the future would bring them.


	2. Makoto (My Kind of Crazy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's turn! Nagisa's is next and in the works!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> : Makoto’s turn! Sadly, if you’re expecting some well written smut…it’s not happening. I haven’t written actual smut in years even if I read it all the time. Of course it’s gonna be talked about though, since Makoto is one of the homosexual duo of this foursome. Like the tags say, Rei and Haru are ace. (also, Haru’s referred to as Haruka here, like last chapter, it changes depending on who the focus is. And since this is Makoto’s chapter, it’s Haruka.)  
> I had to take the chapter title from one of the songs I’ve been listening to. I have an entire playlist for this series (I can’t write just one story with this ship. There’s too many ficlets begging to be written after I finish this) that I have on my iTunes right now, and a separate one for just Gay Swimming Feels (the actual title of the playlist.) later on when I have reliable wi-fi and update the damn thing, I’ll set up the playlist on Spotify and see how I can go about sharing it.   
> I completely made up something in this story. Easy to spot, I just needed Nagisa to nearly give Makoto a heart attack and since Haru and Rei did that by getting hurt, I figured why not go three for three in that aspect?  
> (last note, song is My Kind of Crazy by Brantley Gilbert, one of my favorite country songs. Haru was more of a Clarity by Zedd/pop love songs, Makoto is country. Nagisa gets all the songs and Rei gets beautiful instrumentals.)  
> Please excuse my German. I’m still learning and needed the help of an online dictionary for this. (German-speaking Haru is my weakness. Rin can have his English, Haru’s gonna confuse everyone in German.) Italics means the words are in another language.(only for this chapter, I need my italics back for emphasis next chapter.) (And please excuse that terrible pick-up line Nagisa ends up using. I was left to my own thoughts at two in the morning and that came about…)

If he was asked at age five, what his life would be his last year of High School; Makoto probably would not have answered with what became the truth.

Movie nights had become a bi-weekly thing for them, between training and studying and time with their families, it was one of the only times they could fully relax, and Makoto loved it.

They would have movie night at Haruka’s more often than not. The four of them would be cuddled up on the couch while the movie played. Most times, Makoto would find himself between Nagisa and Haruka, his smallest boyfriend curled up tightly against his side with Makoto’s arm wrapped around him. His grip on Haruka would be looser, fingers playing gently against his best friend’s hip.

Haruka would sigh softly. The movement, which to Nagisa would probably lead to something heavier and lustful, was simply lulling the freestyle swimmer into relaxing further against Rei. Makoto could count on both hands how many movies Haruka had actually paid attention to, though it was his fault Haruka was distracted.

He was just as guilty, getting distracted by the others and forgetting the movie was playing at all. The hand at Haruka’s hip would be grabbed by Rei, twining their fingers together behind Haruka and reminding Makoto that he was still there. Nagisa would demand his attention with kisses to his neck and collarbone, even as he kept his eyes turned towards the screen.

But Haruka needed neither a touch nor look to distract him. Makoto would be drawn to him even if Haruka focused solely on the movie. It had always been that way, the smaller demanding his attention without knowing it.

They were anchors for each other, a bond closer than anything else he had felt. Since they were little, Haruka had all of his attention. And Makoto knew the opposite held true as well.

He pressed a light kiss to Haruka’s forehead as the credits began to roll. “Next movie! Please Haru-chan, can we see one more?” Nagisa begged, scrambling into Makoto’s lap to better nuzzle at Haruka, his nose against the other’s jaw as he pleaded, “just one more?”

Haruka caved, he always had when it came to Nagisa. Since their first kiss, probably even before that, if Makoto really thought about it. He hadn’t expected Nagisa to turn their couple into a trio, but since that first kiss, he found he didn’t mind at all.

He was close with Nagisa in a way he could not be with Haruka or Rei. What was a playful nature the other two saw in the blond, was sensual with Makoto. There was a tension between them that they allowed to build until it would finally snap as Nagisa crashed their lips together hungrily.

Their first time was at Haruka’s. Even with their third mate not with them- not even in the same room as them, Haruka was still in the living room with a new sketchpad the last time they saw him- he was far from forgotten. Makoto’s moans grew deeper as Nagisa called out both of their names, chanting them like they were the only words he knew.

There was no guilt, no shame that they couldn’t share this intimacy with Haruka. He was still included, but the act was something Makoto shared only with Nagisa. All of the teasing and lust and closeness were theirs for the taking. Their worry that Haruka was left out had dissipated with Rei’s arrival, their ace mates more than glad to forge their own connection.

Nagisa put in the new movie and Makoto sighed in relief as he caught sight of the cover on the disk case. He had been worried that Nagisa would pick a horror movie, if only to make Makoto scared.

It was a game, he caught onto it early. Haruka and Nagisa would purposefully choose a horror movie or a haunted house when they went out. Anything to spook him really, anything to make him more compliant with their snuggling and closeness during the night.

It made him all the more grateful for Rei. The youngest of their group never chose something scary on purpose, and would join in the protests of them. Makoto leaned over Haruka, ignoring the nip of teeth against his arm as he invaded Haruka’s space with a hand on his thigh, and kissed Rei before being pulled back by Nagisa.

He hated horror, but he would sit through all the horror movies in the world if it meant his mates never being a source of near heart attacks again.

Haruka had been first. Before they were together, when they were little more than close friends, seeing him there in the hospital almost frozen to death had scared Makoto almost to the point of giving up swimming- anything water related- for good. He would have, if it meant keeping Haruka safe.

Nagisa made him almost quit the swim club idea later, when he was not careful enough and fell into the empty pool. Makoto and Haruka were at his side in an instant, Kou and Miss A there a second later. The blond was ok, just a bump on the back of his head and a cut on his forehead from hitting the side of the pool.

It took longer to reassure him that Nagisa would be ok than it did to stop the bleeding and deem Nagisa alright. Eventually Kou had thrust her phone into his hands, the web browser open to a medical site that told him yes, head wounds were going to bleed that badly.

“It’s not even that bad Makoto-senpai!” Kou snatched her phone back. “Honestly, the track team has worse injuries from stretching!”

“Perhaps you boys should take some first aid classes before you even think of really getting this club going…” Miss Ama sighed.

“We know CPR.” Haruka replied as Makoto checked Nagisa over a sixth time. “If the water was here, it would have protected Nagisa.”

The blond pushed against Makoto’s chest with a laugh as a large hand carded through his hair to check the bump. “Mako-chan, I’m fine! It only hurts a little if you press on it. And see? No more blood!”

They kept a closer eye on him then, never letting him work by himself until the pool was filled. Makoto doubted he minded the attention, after the disaster of a talk with Rin at Samezuka a day prior to the accident.

Makoto had hoped Rei wouldn’t cause a heart attack. He was right, to a point. Nearly drowning still felt better than what he thought a heart attack would feel like. Waking up to find Rei gone, then to see him in the ocean as the storm raged, scared him more than any movie. He jumped in without thinking of the danger he could be in, it wasn’t until he felt Haruka grab him, hearing him shout to Nagisa then growling at him that he realized how much danger they were all in.

_No! Go back!_ He wanted to scream at them, tell them to save Rei, that he was fine. But opening his mouth only got him a mouthful of salt water. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything. He tried to focus on Haruka’s voice, but the last thing he heard was Nagisa’s fearful whimper as the wave crashed down on them.

The next thing he could remember is coughing up water, Haruka hovering close by, everything about him screaming fear and worry.

“Rei? Where’s Rei? We have to help him!” Makoto gasped. “And Nagisa, he was with you! What were you thinking?”

“Nagisa’s with him.” Haruka offered as explanation. “We weren’t going to let you two drown if there was something we could do about it.”

The lighthouse was nothing compared to the fear he had felt minutes before. When Rei was in the ocean, when Haruka and Nagisa came to help them, when he couldn’t see Nagisa and Rei upon waking up.

When he thought for a fleeting second, that he may not wake up at all.

“Makoto.” Haruka struggled against him, pushing at his hand. “Too hard.”

Makoto smiled sheepishly as he realized his grip had tightened against Haruka’s hip. “Sorry, Haruka.” Nagisa and Rei looked at him quizzically, but said nothing. His fingers resumed the light petting they had started in the last movie, soothing Haruka back into relaxation.

The movie was a lighthearted comedy, one they had watched only a few times. Nagisa was a giggling mess halfway through, squirming against Makoto even as Haruka swatted at him lazily as a sign to calm down.

“Let him get the energy out. He might get to bed earlier if we do.” Rei grabbed Haruka’s hand, bringing it up to kiss the back of it before turning his attention back to the movie.

Makoto loved movie nights. When it was just the four of them, warm and content and happy.

Sometimes though, movie nights had a few additions.

Kou joined them twice a month, for a club movie night. Those nights were quiet, save for the constant corrections as Nagisa insisted on calling her Gou. Makoto and Rei were just a guilty, tripping up at times. Haruka was the only one who seemed to have no problem, and those were the movies he paid the most attention to. Makoto would eventually tune out the arguing and use the distraction as time for just him and Haruka.

Until Nagisa would notice, pout, and join them in a cuddle pile. Rei would be dragged along and Kou would be perfectly content with a chair finally all to herself.

“Makoto you have the patience of a saint.” She commented one day. “I see Sei too much and it grates on my nerves, perfect muscles or not. How do you manage with three?”

Makoto smiled, “wait until you have that moment of clarity. When you realize that living without him is impossible. I realized that quick, with all of them.”

His second favorite movie nights were ones with his family. Telling Ren and Ran about their relationship wasn’t exactly something he planned, with the twins overhearing as they told his parents. Ran questioned them thoroughly, surprising him as she accepted every answer with a nod. Ren seemed content with whatever answers Haruka had given, and soon enough the twins were both back to arguing over who would win a race in Mario Kart.

Babysitting the twins was an enjoyable curse whenever he could convince his parents to let Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei help. The word help was a very loose term that varied from person to person those days. Haruka managed just as he always had; giving in to video game challenges, but only after homework was done. Rei was a big help there, managing to explain it to the twins in a way that it would just click for them on the first try more often than not.

It was Nagisa who gave them trouble. The twins seemed to feed off of his hyper nature, and Nagisa had plenty of hype to share.

After the first time, Makoto had banned any sort of candy on babysitting days. The only sugar to be found was in dinner, if Haruka and Rei used it in what they prepared. The first babysitting-turned-movie night they had, was a disaster worse than their training camp.

The twins had found their new favorite game of bothering Rei as he tried to help Haruka with dinner, no amount of pleading or bribery from Makoto could get them to stop. He blamed Nagisa, who had not only brought his own candy but enough to share with them. Makoto had told them to wait until after dinner, when they would be watching the movie, but Nagisa hadn’t listened.

He could see how uncomfortable Rei was, and felt terrible. His siblings usually calmed down after a few minutes. The sugar kept them going though. Nagisa had given up already, moving on to bug Haruka about dinner. Makoto could only watch helplessly and pray to any deity willing to listen that the duo wouldn’t hate him after all of this.

His praying turned frantic as Haruka slammed down the knife he had been using. “ _Nien!_ _Lass des sein!_ ” The sudden language switch made the entire kitchen pause. Rei stared wide-eyed at Haruka as Nagisa took a few steps back. Ren and Ran looked at each other before bowing their heads.

Makoto being stern with them was one thing. But Haruka only ever spoke German when something truly upset him.

“ _Entschuldigen Sie bitte…_ ” Haruka murmured quietly.

The shock eventually wore off, leading to another game of twenty questions after dinner. Makoto answered most of them, with Haruka tucked into his side on the couch. He remembered most of the details they wanted; Haruka had known the language most of his life, his grandmother had taught him, no, Makoto could not speak it too. He was learning English just to keep up with Rin’s constant swapping; he didn’t need to make things difficult with another language.

He could always read Haruka, no matter how the other spoke. There was never a true need for him to learn it. He did know a few of Haruka’s more common phrases, he could only hear them so many times before becoming curious.

Their newest spot for movie night was Samezuka. After the relay their second year, Rin had jumped at the chance for more time with them. They just had to stay quiet so no one would catch them there.

With eight people in the same room, it was easier said than done most times. Nagisa and Momotarou being the loudest and most likely to get them caught. Makoto watched in silence as the two tried to play a quiet game on Nagisa’s phone- tried being the keyword- and smiled as Rei leaned further into his side from their position on the floor.

“No that’s the wrong thing!” Momotarou shouted, being silenced by a quick hiss from Rin.

“You two picked out the movie, how about focusing on that?” Sousuke suggested, keeping an arm around Rin in case he thought of taking the phone by force.

Nagisa looked up the screen sheepishly before turning off the game and setting it beside Makoto’s phone on the table. He snuck past Nitori and Rei to curl up on Makoto’s lap. Momotarou found his way over to Sousuke’s other side, giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before turning to the movie.

Rin’s laptop wasn’t the largest screen, but it was enough as long as the movie was without subtitles. Those movies were usually saved for nights at someone’s house with an actual television screen.

“I could just translate as the movie plays, you know.” Rin offered one night. “ _What’s the point in knowing the language if I never use it?_ ”

Haruka made a muted comment, earning a kernel of popcorn tossed at him as Rin glared. “Try again in a language we know. No one else here can speak German. At least with English you guys can understand some of it.”

“That’s the point…” Haruka muttered. “I know what I’m saying. I can translate if I want to.”

“Haru-chan can say whatever he wants and get away with it.” Nagisa laughed. “But Mako-chan always knows if he’s swearing. Why did you teach Mako-chan the swear words and not me?”

Makoto sighed. “He didn’t Nagisa; I’ve just heard them enough to know them when I hear them.”

The last movie night they had with the Samezuka team, the one right after Nagisa’s moping of not knowing vulgar words in another language, had led to a fight Makoto was not eager to have repeated.

And it had all started with Rin teaching Nagisa one thing in English.

“Makoto, I think we should break up.”

Makoto blinked up at Nagisa in confusion. The room was dark, Rin working on finding a movie for them to watch. There was some light from the screen that reflected off the glasses Haruka and Rei managed to get him to wear when they noticed his contacts had been bothering him earlier that day. Removing the glasses, he saw how Nagisa looked completely serious, but something seemed off. “…Why?”

“Because… _You can’t have sex, without the ‘ex’._ ”

The backstroke swimmer was certain the sound of three palms hitting three foreheads could be heard all the way in Australia.

“Nagisa…That was terrible.” Rei groaned. “Who told you that, exactly?”

Haruka’s head was tilted slightly in confusion, only picking up on a few words. He frowned slightly as Momotarou, who understood enough to get the joke, leaned on him while laughing harder than ever.

It was Nitori who spoke up, “I think I know who taught him that, and they’d better be ready to sleep _alone_ , for the next week.” Rin flinched from his position at the laptop as Sousuke glared at him.

“What did he say?” Haruka asked, poking Rei’s shoulder. As Rei explained the joke as best he could, Makoto turned his attention back to the eagerly awaiting Nagisa.

“Does this mean you don’t want to have sex if we’re still together?”

Nagisa squeaked in horror, practically flying into Makoto’s lap and shaking his head. “No! I still want to! Please Mako-chan? I don’t wanna break up! I don’t wanna stop with sex either! I love it, love you! Especially when you press me against the wall an-“

Haruka’s hand slapped over Nagisa’s mouth before Makoto could even think to move. His attention was elsewhere though, and the other residents of the room wondered how he could’ve silenced Nagisa with such precision without at least looking at him.

“ _Verdammt… nien._ Teach your own boyfriends that.” Haru said to Rin.

“Thought we agreed no swearing? I don’t need a translator for _damn. You’re just bent out of shape because he won’t tell you that._ ”

Blue eyes narrowed in a fierce glare and Makoto paled. That sentence was easy enough for even him to get the first time. “Translate this, _mach es dir selber_.”

“Haruka!” Makoto gaped at the raven.

“What’s that mean? Mako-chan, translate it!” Nagisa was bouncing in Makoto’s lap, finally escaping Haruka’s grip. Helplessly, Makoto looked over to Rei. Their fourth looked just as shocked as he did.

“Did Haruka just…”

“I believe Nanase did, though German isn’t exactly a language I know well.” Sousuke nodded. “Given what Rin said though, I can’t actually fault him for it.”

His mind finally catching up to his words, Rin paled. “Shit- Haru no wait- I mean… _fucking dammit._ ”

The only pity to be found for him was from Momotarou, who was the only one willing to cuddle up to the chastised swimmer during the movie.

Makoto gave an exasperated groan. Haruka was still bristling about Rin’s comment, Nagisa continued to giggle about the horrid pick-up line, and Rei had lost interest in the movie, finding a language app more amusing.

He loved his mates with all his heart, and loved his friends dearly. But there were times he wondered if a betting pool should be started for when he would finally die of a mixture of embarrassment, horror, and heart attacks.

As much as movie nights with their friends were exciting and different, his favorite was still the nights when it was just the four of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Hides* PLEASE EXCUSE THAT TERRIBLE PICKUP LINE. IT WAS THOUGHT UP AT 2 AM A FEW WEEKS AGO.  
> Translation: “Nien! Lass das sein!”- “No! Cut it out!”  
> “Entschuldigen Sie bitte…”- “Please excuse my actions” (this one was a bit harder for me to find in the dictionary/translator)  
> “Verdammt”- Damn  
> “mach es dir selber”- Go fuck yourself.  
> And I repeat what the tag says; it’s all Nagisa’s fault. He said it in English too, because I’m not sure if it would translate well into Japanese. I mean, they managed the “Refriger-rei-tor” joke just fine but I didn’t know if ‘Sex without the ‘ex’’ would translate.  
> Rin seems like an ass with his comment before Haru tells him to fuck off, he didn’t mean for it to sound as bad as it did. He was in trouble for that though. Ai won’t let him off the hook that easily. He truly did mean it more teasingly than it came out to be, my friends and I always joke around like that and it never bothers me. I’m Ace and proud, joke away about my nonexistent sex life. Hell, I start half the jokes.


End file.
